EV-only on the freeway.... Bad?

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Rick2112

Rick2112

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My situation is that I work at home, so most of my driving is visiting friends, shopping, hospital, movies, etc. So usually not more than 25 or 30 miles, out and back. But a lot of that is on the freeway, and I have heard that it is better to use HV mode (rather than EV only) on the freeway.

However, I read in another post that if your driving distance is within EV range, it is better to stay in EV mode the whole time, and use the HV mode only if your distance is going to exceed the EV range (and then use it on the freeway, with EV for the city driving portion).

Can anyone give me their thoughts on this?

I would like to stay in EV the whole time, even on the freeway. Will driving in EV on the freeway often/all the time have some other negative effects? Damage/wear out the motor, transmission, battery faster?

Sorry for the newbie quesiton. BWT, my car is the 2018 Clarity Touring (just bought 2 days ago) in Northern California.

Thanks!
 
jorgie393 said:
EV away without fear.

The recommendation to use HV on the highway applies to trips that are going to be too long for the battery alone. If you have to use HV, do it at highway cruising speeds.

But for shorter trips, in battery range, just running on battery the whole time is best of all, even on the highway.
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Agree.


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Me 3!
Just be careful not to step on the 'gas' pedal too hard and accidentally kick the ICE in. Once ICE is on, it will run for at least 5 mins.
 
We drive about 30 miles per trip around town and freeway speeds are pray of most trips. We stay in EV Mode all the time for these trips.

The trick is to do what costs less. Some clarity owners have very expensive electric rates so it might be cheaper to use gas.
 
Greetings all, I have a VW TDI that is going back to VW soon and the Honda Clarity is choice # 1 for me.
I drive 40 miles to work each way, 80 miles round trip 98% freeway.
Is the Clarity a good option for mostly freeway driving?
One concern is the 7 gallon tank also.
Thanks for your help
 
Apart from heat (the biggest killer), one of the factors that shorten battery longevity is the depth of discharge or DoD. Basically, it is better to charge every chance you get (in your case, after each run) than to let the battery discharge to minimum (two bars) and then recharge fully again. This is only related to your question because if you know you don't have a chance to recharge before your battery runs out, you should just go to HV on the highway, where it is most efficient (46 mpg at 75 mph as measured by Car and Driver magazine). The other benefit is that this allows you to use some gasoline regularly so it doesn't go bad in your tank and ruin your engine when you finally run it and regularly running your ICE is important to keep it properly lubricated. I'm in EV so much that I have to switch to HV every time I'm on the highway just to run the ICE and use some gas.
 
jdonalds said:
We drive about 30 miles per trip around town and freeway speeds are pray of most trips. We stay in EV Mode all the time for these trips.

The trick is to do what costs less. Some clarity owners have very expensive electric rates so it might be cheaper to use gas.
Click to expand...


I have owned the Clarity for only a couple of days, and am still trying to find a pattern that fits my lifestyle. I found out that there are multiple clusters of free charging stations near my often-visited places, the movie theater being the best! (Free charging while I watch a matinee!)
 
Mel said:
Greetings all, I have a VW TDI that is going back to VW soon and the Honda Clarity is choice # 1 for me.
I drive 40 miles to work each way, 80 miles round trip 98% freeway.
Is the Clarity a good option for mostly freeway driving?
One concern is the 7 gallon tank also.
Thanks for your help
Click to expand...
I think it would be a good option for you since you would be doing 40 miles EV and 40 miles HV each work day. (If you can charge at work, your daily commute could be all EV.) The 7 gal tank will give you at least 280 miles on HV, so you’ll only need to fill up weekly. And your weekend local driving will be all EV.
Even at a 50/50 EV/HV 80 mile round trip work commute, you will get (110MPGe + 40Mpg)/2 = 75 mpg over all which beats any hybrid and then get the 110 MPGe for local driving.
The Clarity is the best of both worlds!
 
Rick2112 said:
I have owned the Clarity for only a couple of days, and am still trying to find a pattern that fits my lifestyle. I found out that there are multiple clusters of free charging stations near my often-visited places, the movie theater being the best! (Free charging while I watch a matinee!)
Click to expand...
I’ve discovered the same thing, grocery stores and colleges have free stations so I charge at home less than half the time
 
Mel said:
Greetings all, I have a VW TDI that is going back to VW soon and the Honda Clarity is choice # 1 for me.
I drive 40 miles to work each way, 80 miles round trip 98% freeway.
Is the Clarity a good option for mostly freeway driving?
One concern is the 7 gallon tank also.
Thanks for your help
Click to expand...
If you drive 40 EV miles every day, you can drive 560 miles on a tank. Why would you need a larger tank?
 
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KentuckyKen said:
I think it would be a good option for you since you would be doing 40 miles EV and 40 miles HV each work day. (If you can charge at work, your daily commute could be all EV.) The 7 gal tank will give you at least 280 miles on HV, so you’ll only need to fill up weekly. And your weekend local driving will be all EV.
Even at a 50/50 EV/HV 80 mile round trip work commute, you will get (110MPGe + 40Mpg)/2 = 75 mpg over all which beats any hybrid and then get the 110 MPGe for local driving.
The Clarity is the best of both worlds!
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for the info, I driven diesels all my life and I am totally new to the whole plug in hybrid technology, I appreciate it.
 
Speaking of free charging, is there a website that maps out free charging locations that doesn't require pay parking? I haven't found one. Is there a thread on this?
 
kcsunshine said:
Speaking of free charging, is there a website that maps out free charging locations that doesn't require pay parking? I haven't found one. Is there a thread on this?
Click to expand...

Plugshare is the best place I've found to locate charging. It can be hit or miss whether the entries indicate paid parking or not, though.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I think it would be a good option for you since you would be doing 40 miles EV and 40 miles HV each work day. (If you can charge at work, your daily commute could be all EV.) The 7 gal tank will give you at least 280 miles on HV, so you’ll only need to fill up weekly. And your weekend local driving will be all EV.
Even at a 50/50 EV/HV 80 mile round trip work commute, you will get (110MPGe + 40Mpg)/2 = 75 mpg over all which beats any hybrid and then get the 110 MPGe for local driving.
The Clarity is the best of both worlds!
Click to expand...

This exactly! As long as you have home charging, your efficiency will still exceed that of a diesel. And if you can charge during the workday you could drive EV almost all the time.

I also switched from a VW TDI, and I think the Clarity is the best car I've ever owned. I just filled up yesterday for the first time since March! :)

For a long road trip, the 7-gallon tank is a little disappointing. But realistically, the car's range exceeds that of my bladder regardless, so if I just stop at gas stations and top off when I need to use a restroom, it all works out anyway.

One very minor disadvantage of having such a small tank is that I don't have time to finish cleaning my windshield before the pump turns off ;-)
 
Emanuel Green said:
This exactly! As long as you have home charging, your efficiency will still exceed that of a diesel. And if you can charge during the workday you could drive EV almost all the time.

I also switched from a VW TDI, and I think the Clarity is the best car I've ever owned. I just filled up yesterday for the first time since March! :)

For a long road trip, the 7-gallon tank is a little disappointing. But realistically, the car's range exceeds that of my bladder regardless, so if I just stop at gas stations and top off when I need to use a restroom, it all works out anyway.

One very minor disadvantage of having such a small tank is that I don't have time to finish cleaning my windshield before the pump turns off ;-)
Click to expand...
lol
Glad to see someone else switched from a TDI. We don't have a charging station at work, I will be pushing hard to get one installed though.
 
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